


These Hours

by nowaynotme



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Child Abuse, Dumbledore is a dick, M/M, Set after the war at Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 15:25:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nowaynotme/pseuds/nowaynotme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is perfectly fine. Why won't anyone believe him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	These Hours

As Harry stormed down the dungeon halls, Hermione and Ron chased after him.

"Harry, you have to talk about this!" Hermione's voice rising. "Let me help you."

Harry turned around and snapped, "Hermione, I was abused. I'm not sure how the hell you found that out, but the fact remains. However, don't you dare think for one second that I am some weak little flower you have to protect and care for. I'm not damaged goods that you get to use to make yourself feel like some hero after giving me words like, 'It gets better.'"

"Of course not, Harry. But you must confront the emotional damage that the Dursley's submitted you to."

Ron spoke up, "Yeah Harry. I know I'd be a right mess if I'd have gone through the same. It's okay to let your guard down."

Harry threw his hands in the air before shouting at them. "I'M NOT GUARDING ANYTHING. Jesus Christ, can't you get anything through your thick skulls? I'm fine! Everything is dandy! I don't need your help because I don't NEED help."

At that, Harry decided he'd had enough of this conversation and started to walk away. As he rounded the corner he was met with the shocked face of Draco Malfoy.

The blonde’s eyes widened in surprise, both at what he had just heard and at getting caught. Honestly, he just wanted to take a normal walk around the labyrinth of the dungeons.

But before he could get a word out, Harry just sighed and maneuvered around Draco before walking away.

\----

Draco had been so worried about meeting Potter again that he had barely paid any attention to his surroundings all day. That was why, at dinner, he didn't notice a figure walking towards the Slytherin table, or the whispers accompanying it.

So he was completely surprised when Harry fucking Potter plopped down in the seat right next to him and started to dish up.

"Hey Malfoy," Potter said, not really looking at him.

"Hello, Potter." Draco decided to see where this was going and stayed quiet, but it seemed the other boy was content to keep the silence up.

When Draco looked back over to the Gryffindor table he was met with the scandalized and furious faces of the Weasel and the Granger girl, both staring daggers at him.

Draco turned slightly to inform Potter of the situation, "Don't look now, but your friends over there are giving me death glares."

Of course the Gryffindor looked up and immediately started to let out a low laugh, "They're just pissed because it's you I'm sitting by."

Before Draco could get caught up in how nice of a laugh that was he said, "So is that what this is, Potter? You're sitting by me, at _Slytherin_  table, to get back at your friends?"

The other boy was silent for a moment, then he turned to Draco, "No. That's not what this is... Also, you can stop calling me 'Potter.'"

"What else should I call you? Boy Wonder? The Chosen One? There are many ridiculous titles to choose from."

"Or, you know, my name."

Draco turned his head to hide his small smile. "If you wanted me to call you Harry, you could have just said so."

"Alright then. And may I call you Draco?"

"Makes no difference to me."

Harry gave another soft laugh as he cut into his food. "Come on then, dinner isn't going to last all night and you're skinnier than I am."

"Oh shut it, Harry."

\----

Harry continued to sit with Draco at Slytherin table for the following weeks. Some people got over it, some people were still furious, and others just wanted them to kiss already.

And yes, there had been bets placed regarding the timing of said kiss.

But Draco was still uneasy. What he had heard that night in the dungeons lingered under his skin every time he talked to Harry. Until, one day, he just couldn't ignore it anymore.

They had been sitting in an abandoned classroom; Draco shooting different colored sparks at the wall and Harry drawing with some old chalk. He tried to broach the topic subtly.

"So are we ever going to talk about what I heard that night?"

Well, at least he wouldn't have to elaborate, and this was proven when Harry stilled and slowly put down the chalk.

With his back still toward Draco he said, "I'm fine."

"I know. I know you're fine. It's obvious that you're a strong person and that you've learned to deal with it. But that doesn't change the fact that what they did to you was wrong and that you need to confront what happened, not just bury it down."

"Happening."

"What?"

"Happening, not happened. Present tense."

Draco felt like dementors had circled him for weeks. He put his head in his hands saying, "Merlin, Harry. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you now."

"But why didn't you go to anyone years earlier? I'm sure Dumbledore could help you, seeing as you are his favorite."

Harry turned around to meet Draco's eyes.

"Draco, he was the one who put me in that house in the first place. And I was the Boy Who Lived To Be His Chess Pawn, do you honestly think that he wouldn't have checked on me in the time between him delivering me like a Christmas gift and the time I came to Hogwarts? Or, if we follow that logic, that it wouldn't have been blatantly obvious what was going on?"

"Harry--"

"So no, I didn't go to him. Honestly, he'd probably do something to me to make me WANT to go back there."

"But maybe he had to. Didn't you say something about the wards?"

"Oh yeah, the wards that were meant to protect me from any harm. Don't you think he could have found a way around that? He has soldiers at his beck and call; don't you think one of them could have housed me? Or he could have had me live in his little safe house? He sent me to that place, knowing what kind of people they were. He knew what was happening. And he left me there. He also sends me back every summer. It was the same with Remus, and the Weasley's, and Hermione. People like Moody gave them a talking to, but nothing was really done. They made themselves feel better, like they did something, and then turned the other way."

"So come with me."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. "What?"

"Come home with me."

"Draco... I can't. What about your parents?"

"Don't mind them. My mother will understand, and, well, my father can't exactly do anything from prison. I know you may not trust the Malfoy's after what happened during the war, but--"

"Oh Draco, no, of course. Of course I trust you. And it was your mother who saved my life."

"So come with me."

"But, Dumbledore--"

"Screw him. You said it yourself, he's a monster. So come with me. Be with me," he said the last part without thinking, becoming more and more determined that Harry would not go back to the Dursley's that summer.

But Harry noticed, "Be with you?"

Draco stammered a bit, "I-I mean, at my house, that is, you know--"

"It's fine, Draco. No need to explain."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I'll be with you at your house this summer," then Harry's voice took on a deep, mocking tone, "I gladly accept your invitation to Malfoy Manor!" And then he gave a little bow.

Honestly, Harry could be the most oblivious person Draco had ever met.

"Oh go fuck yourself, but I'm glad you've accepted!"

\---

Draco wasn't completely sure how he had ended up in his bed, staring into the eyes of Harry Potter at three in the morning.

“What else?” he asked.

Harry sighed before continuing the tale of his life with the Dursley’s.

“They would lock me in the closet under the stairs, which was my room at the time, and keep me there for days. Sometimes they would remember to feed me, but more often than not they wouldn’t. It wasn’t often that they would hit me. I mean, it still happened. Just not as often as some people think. A frying pan to the head, or a kick to the gut. But I suppose Dudley was the one the one to watch out for in that area. Bit of a bully.”

“A bit?”

Harry grinned, “Okay, maybe more than a bit.” At his next words, Harry looked down and seemed to shrink into himself. “The worst was the name calling, because after a while you start to believe it. Freak. Undeserving. Worthless. Unloved. Better off dead.”

“Harry.”

“It’s okay, Draco. Honest. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m fine…”

“Please, Harry, look at me.”

“I’m fine, I’m fi—“ and the Boy Who Lived finally broke, sobs wracking his body. Draco wrapped his arms around him, as if he could hold him tight enough to keep Harry together, and they stayed like that until Harry fell asleep.

And for hours into the night, Draco would whisper things to Harry. Over and over again.

You’re enough. You didn’t deserve it. You are loved. I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

And he would do this every night.

\----

Draco wasn’t sure how long he had been whispering to Harry this night, but he knew it had been a long time by the way the black of the night sky was turning to dark blue.

In the middle of yet another declaration, that soft laugh filled his ears again before a whisper that wasn’t his own settled into the air between them.

“I love you, too.”

And they remained there, in the hours that made the world consist of only them, holding tight to each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so the timing of the war is a bit weird and they probably wouldn't resolve their differences that easily bUT WHATEVER. I just wanted a mushy mush story where they love each other and Harry works through his past rather then shove it deep inside of himself. This is the closest I get to fluff


End file.
